Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-19
Grief for Boston Bellies.

Special Agents Levein, Hussey and
Finley boarded the Havre steamer La
Gascogne Sunday at Quarantine, and
4 she Came up the bay kept Il brig I
lookout for signs of smuggling. 1 e
actions of Miss M. Kennedy, Of Bos-
ton, aroused their suspicious, and the
agents devoted Il good deal of atten-
tion to the lady and Joseph Melville,
another passenger, with whom she
seemed to be on excellent terms.
When the steamer reached her pier
Melvlle's trunk was put through the
usual examination, and was passed.
When lnspectress Laura Morgan's
attention was attracted away from
her, the agents say, Miss Kennedy
deftly pulled tyo silk dresses from
her trunk and threw them over Mel
ville's luggage. Then she brought up
a long fiat paper box, which had been
resting under the gowns, and thrust
it behind her friends trunk. 1t was
quickly done, but the agents saw it
all, and when Miss Morgan began to
investigate the Bostonian's baggage
they saw Melville trying to conceal
the two dresses and the long box in
his own trunk. The agents promptly
seized Miss Kennedy's effects.
The paper box was opened. The
top layer of the contents was made up
of folds of satin, and when that was
removed. four ball dress patterns
were found. They were of lace,
beautifully embroidered-the finest
quality of goods, and worth many
dollars a yard. The two silk dresses
were nothing remarkable. as far as
outside appearances went, but within
they proved to be very unusually con-
structed gowns, for between the silk
and the ordinary lining was another
of a costly sort. 1t was made up of
valuable lace dress goods, brocaded
in bullion, scarlet silk, and other
trifes, that require long purses ami
credit to possess. Miss Kennedy
wore a petticoat that was a petticoat
and something more. 1t was made
up of three fine silk dress patterns,
basted together. Where the extern
porized garment was narrowest there
were eight thicknesses of silk. One
of the dress patterns was green in
color the second maroon, the third
the agents described as London smoke
in tint.
Miss Kennedy's travelling equip
ment consisted of three trunks and a
case. Her declaration on the lot
covered goods worth $1666. The
trunks and case were senJ to the pub
lie stores for appraisement and the
other goods carried off to the Treasury
Agents office. From the invoices
Miss Kennedy had with her she APP
pears to have made her purchases for
a Miss Powers, also Bostonian. No
appraisement of the seized goods has
yet been made, but the worth of the
whole importation is estimated at
from 10000 to $4,000. Miss Kennedy
is said by the agents to have taken
her trouble very coolly. She appeared
to be about 40 years old. The officers
believe that she is dressmaker. No
attempts to detain her or her friend,
Mr.. Melville, were made. The statute
under which the seizure was made
provides that the goods shall be for
feited, and that the offender may be
fined from $50 to $4,000 or be impris-
oned for two years or less, or both.
The law also covers the case of persons
assisting in the smuggling.
Another seizure reported was that
of forty-eight yards Of woolen goods
concealed in dresses and skirts in the
trunk of Mrs. Stevens, passenger on
the City of Richmond. Mrs. Anna
Krone, a passenger on the Wieland,
had china, heads, upholstery, linen,
pocketbooks, silk, lace, ETC., in her
trunk, and some dress goods sewed in
her skirts.
Miss G. Dreyer, of Pittsburg, who
came from Europe in the steamer La
Gascogne, called at the custom house
yesterday for information about $500
worth of dutiable goods found in her
trunk and seized. Miss nreyer said
that she did not know that the goods
were dutiable, and other ladies on the
steamer told her that she need not
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